Hello and Welcome back to Wyrmwood Studios, a blog dedicated to TTRPG Design. Out motto; Design the Games You Want to Play. We stand by it and we help fellow creators, GMs and players find tools, guides and inspiration, to continue growing our community and make our hobby better. Today, I will complain about TTRPG Dice Mechanics and Dice- a tangible element that we all take for granted when we play a game, but we don’t really realize how much effort, yawning and rubbing eyes comes with it. And its all fun and games until you get the crazy idea to make your own mechanics. If you have ever found yourself in that situation, here is a high lever guide from my point of view. If you missed last week’s article on How to Design Meaningful Decisions, you can find it here!
A hate-it-or-love-it task, TTRPG dice mechanics are the oddball of the whole experience. They determine outcomes, build tension, and provide a sense of fairness and unpredictability. But designing dice mechanics isn’t just about rolling some numbers and calling it a day. To make your game actually fun, balanced, and somewhat engaging, you need mechanics that fit your game’s theme, while keeping players invested.
As always, I promise to keep things simple, in steps and in this case with only one purpose— to make Dice mechanics that are fair, fun, and cool. In other words, make people smile when the GM asks them to roll.
Understanding the role of the Dice
The very first step is to write down what you want to achieve with the dice. If it’s not clear enough, then your game is probably better off without them; I would explore other assets like cards or tokens. With that settled, here are some common functions:
- Success or failure: In most titles, rolling dice determines the success of an action.
- Degrees of success: In other systems, instead of a green light-red light, the outcomes range from total failure to critical success.
- Narrative tension: In narrative driven mechanics, dice rolls are used to peak the drama, add uncertainty and are typically simpler.
- Resource reallocation: In some special cases, dice rolls can determine resource gains or losses to add a more strategic layer.
There are for sure way more cases, but I am confident that they will fall within the aforementioned categories in a broader sense.
Choosing Your (TTRPG) Dice
This is the most stupidly exciting part of the designing journey where things are shaping up— I hope I am not alone here! As we all expect, we commonly use polyhedral dice from d6s to d20s but you’re not limited to these. Here are some basic dice systems to get started;
- Single Die Systems: Rolling one die to keep things simple, typically for quick resolution and more narrative focus.
- Dice Pools: Rolling multiple dice and count successes against rules or even other dice.
- Custom Dice: In some cases designers create their own dice with custom symbols/numbers to add uniqueness or narrative twists.
- Exploding Dice: When rolling the highest value of the die, re-rolling is allowed and added on the max roll.
My take on this is to consider your target audience and the style of your game. Some players may prefer simplicity, while others might enjoy more complex systems and math.
Creating the dice Probability Curve
TTRPG Dice Mechanics unfortunately for some need statistics, and while I am a nerd with this, I will try to keep it comprehensible. So, dice rolls are all about probability. The ultimate goal is to balance control over the outcomes with excitement. Achieving this requires the right application of the dice systems distribute results below:
- Flat Probability (Single Die Systems): Rolling a single die which gives each outcome an equal chance.
- Bell Curves (Multiple Dice Systems): Adding or rolling multiple dice creates a bell curve, clustering results around the average, resulting in more predictable outcomes with fewer extreme results.
- Weighted Probability (Using modifiers or target numbers): Adjusting rolls to shift probabilities is a common practice in the big titles
Match DICE Mechanics to Your Game’s Theme
I mention too often that the dice mechanics you choose must reflect the complexity and theme of your game. By that I mean:
- High-Fantasy Heroics: Big modifiers and critical successes that feel superb.
- Gritty Realism: Systems with low success rates or consequences for failure create tension (CoC).
- Narrative-Driven: For collaborative storytelling (PbtA). Read also: How to Design Minimalistic TTRPGs
The point is to balance risk and reward based on what you want to achieve in terms of players feelings. Think about what emotions you want players to feel when they roll the dice. Is it excitement, dread, relief, or surprise?
Good Practices in DEsigning mechanics
- Critical Rolls: Reward rolling a specific value, typically the highest, to add drama and a sense of achievement.
- Push Your Luck: Allow players to re-roll or add dice, but at a cost. Could be anything from stress to resources.
- Fail Forward: Turn failures into narrative opportunities rather than dead ends.
- Escalating Stakes: Use mechanics like escalating difficulties or consequences to increase tension. Just like the progress tracks to create a growing sense of urgency.
Reviewing Dice Mechanics -or- Playtesting
Once you are confident that your calculations are right, you are ready to face the sad truth, that there will always be something. Playtesting reveals imbalances, edge cases, and whether the system feels satisfying or not.
I would start small by testing each component individually like combat, skill checks, etc. This is a good start to rule out obvious loops. I would say to start with a very small group, but this is something that also depends on the scope of the game— so start with the bare minimum.
I have a specific way of gathering feedback and its exactly what I find the most efficient. Let the gameplay flow uninterrupted. Everyone keeps notes and then discuss topics like:
- Were the results fair?
- Did the mechanics fit the tone of the game?
- Were rolls exciting or frustrating?
After a lot of repetition, its time to review and adjust probabilities. Now a common pitfall is the gut feeling. Here we want to check If players fail too often or succeed too easily we need to keep track of every single outcome to make an educated decision to tweak modifiers, target numbers, or dice pool sizes. Remember, we can toss a coin and the first 100 times to get tails— it’s statistically possible.
Lastly, we often complicate things while nibbling on the pencil. After you get to share it and see it in live action we are able to simplify where possible. If players struggle to understand the mechanics, simplify them.
Adding Unique Flair
To stand out in a crowded market, your dice mechanics should offer something unique. Here are some ideas of the indie genre:
- Dynamic Dice: Let players change dice sizes based on circumstances (like upgrading from a d6 to a d8 for some bonus).
- Resource Interaction: Tie dice rolls to in-game resources, like health or mana.
- Narrative Triggers: Use specific rolls to trigger story events or character abilities.
I am sure you can come up with dozens of these, but always take into account the complexity and the theme of your game mechanics.
Final Thoughts
TTRPG Dice Mechanics are meant to be easy to explain and understand. Write clear, concise rules with examples. Use visuals like flowcharts or tables to explain probabilities or outcomes. Share your game rules with people who see this for the first time and ask for feedback. Same goes for thorough playtesting of course!
Designing dice mechanics is a blend of art and science. By understanding your game’s tone, balancing probabilities, and adding your own twists, you can create pretty solid mechanics.
Now, go forth and craft something amazing! If you read that far and you liked it, make sure to subscribe in one these buttons around and visit our Substack to get the news first (Substack Link).
Talk to you later!
